Karachi:
A survey, conducted after 28 years, has revealed alarming data that more than 1.6 million children aged 10 to 17 are dedicated to different forms of work, many in dangerous and exploiting environments, in all Sindh.
The child labor survey of Sindh 2022-2024, conducted by the UNICEF Labor Department with Technical Assistance and the Sindh Statistics Office, revealed that 50.4 percent of working children between the ages of 10 and 17 and the 17
The general director Labor, Muhammad Ali Shah, who directed the project, said that the report has been submitted to the Provincial Government for the action. He mentioned a significant decrease in child labor compared to the 1996 national baseline, almost 50 percent lower, but emphasized that the numbers are still deeply worrisome.
According to findings, school attendance among working children is only 40.6 percent, in contrast to 70.5 percent among children who do not work. Educational participation falls significantly with age, particularly among girls from 14 to 17 years old, who also assume most domestic tasks, with an average of 13.9 hours of domestic work unpaid per week. This contributes greatly to school abandonment rates.
District level data show wide disparities. Qambar Shahdokot heads the list with a prevalence of child labor of 30.8 percent, followed by Tharparkar at 29 percent, Tando Muhammad Khan with 20.3 percent and Shikarpur at 20.2 percent. Karachi has the lowest rate, with only 2.38 percent.
The report also attracts a strong correlation between poverty and child labor. In the poorest households, 33.7 percent reported having had at least one son involved in work.
